How States are Addressing School Bullying: From the Schoolyard to Cyberspace Moderator: Miriam Fordham, Health and Welfare Committee, Legislative Research Commission, Kentucky; Member, Legislative Health Staff Network Steering Committee Kevin Jennings, Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, U.S. Department of Education Jennifer Dounay Zinth, Senior Policy Analyst, Education Commission of the States Cheryl Reinhart, Legislative Attorney, Bureau of Legislative Research, Arkansas; Co-Chair, Legislative Education Staff Network
Transcript
How States are AddressingSchool Bullying:
From the Schoolyard to Cyberspace
Moderator: Miriam Fordham, Health and Welfare Committee, Legislative Research Commission, Kentucky;
Member, Legislative Health Staff Network Steering Committee
Kevin Jennings, Assistant Deputy Secretary,
Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools,
U.S. Department of Education
Jennifer Dounay Zinth, Senior Policy Analyst,
Education Commission of the States
Cheryl Reinhart, Legislative Attorney,
Bureau of Legislative Research, Arkansas;
Co-Chair, Legislative Education Staff Network
This webinar is sponsored by NCSL’s Legislative Education Staff Network (LESN) and Legislative Health Staff
Network (LHSN) through a grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Legislative Education Staff Network
The Legislative Education Staff Network (LESN) is a coordinated network of professional and knowledgeable legislative staff from across the country who, as a major part of their responsibilities, work on education policy, including finance and budget policy.
Want to be involved?
• Join our Listserv (legislative staff only) by contacting Sara Shelton at [email protected].
• Participate in professional development opportunities at ECS and NCSL meetings
The Legislative Health Staff Network (LHSN) is a coordinated network of professional and knowledgeable legislative staff from across the country who work on health policy, including finance and budget policy.
Want to be involved?
• Join our Listserv (legislative staff only) by contacting Tara Lubin at [email protected]
• Participate in upcoming professional development opportunities. Visit our website: http://www.ncsl.org/Default.aspx?TabID=160&tabs=831,134,1070#1070
U.S. Department of EducationUnderstanding Bullying
Kevin JenningsAssistant Deputy Secretary Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools
Department of Education
National Conference of State Legislatures WebinarDecember 14, 2010
Many Students Experience BullyingPercentage of students ages 12-18 who reported being bullied at school and being
cyber-bullied anywhere during the school year, by sex: 2007
Source: Indicators of Crime and School Safety, 2008
Rivers, I., Poteat, V.P., Noret, N., Ashurt, N. (2009). Observing Bullying at School: The Mental Health Implication of Witness
Status. School Psychology Quarterly. 24:4, 211-223.
Prevalence of Bullying Behaviors and
the Roles of Gender
Source: Wang, 2009
Victimization Perpetration
Source: Cyberbullying Research Center
Some Groups are Singled Out for HarassmentQuestion: “At your school, how often are students bullied, called names or harassed for the
following reasons?”
Source: From Teasing to Torment: School Climate in America 2005
Petrosino, A., Guckenburg, S., DeVoe, J. and Hanson, T. (2010). What characteristics of bullying, bullying victims, and schools are associated
with increased reporting of bullying to school officials? (Issues & Answers Report, REL 2010- No.092). Washington, DC: US Department of
Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Education Laboratory
Northeast and Islands. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs.
Petrosino, A., Guckenburg, S., DeVoe, J. and Hanson, T. (2010). What characteristics of bullying, bullying victims, and schools are associated
with increased reporting of bullying to school officials? (Issues & Answers Report, REL 2010- No.092). Washington, DC: US Department of
Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Education Laboratory
Northeast and Islands. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs.
Teachers and Students Make a Difference
In classrooms where both students and teachers had
strong attitudes and actions against bullying and
aggression, rates of aggression were 1/3 to ½ of
classes where peers alone (and not teachers) had
strong attitudes against aggression
Henry, D., Guerra, N., Huessmann, R., Tolan, P., VanAcker, R., & Eron, L. (2000). Normative influences
on aggression in urban elementary school classrooms. Amerian Journal of Community Psychology,
28(1), 59-81.
Peer Intervention Works, but Isn’t Common
Of bullying episodes in which peers intervened,
57% of the interventions were effective (i.e., the
bullying stopped within 10 seconds).
Peers intervene in only 11-19% of all bullying
incidents.
Source: Hawkins, Pepler and Craig 2001
Every School Should…
Help to educate faculty, staff & parents about bullying
Have a clear policy against bullying behaviors, and communicate this policy early and often to students, staff, and parents
Train all staff who interact with students (including bus drivers, school resource officers, school nurses, and cafeteria workers) on how to recognize bullying behaviors and intervene effectively to stop them
Ensure that all staff members take immediate action when bullying is observed.
Gather data to assess bullying, the level of staff commitment to address bullying, and parent interest and concerns.
What’s the Washington Agenda?
In a Truly Safe School
Every Student Feels Like…
They Belong.
They are Valued.
They Feel Physically and Emotionally Safe.
What Gets Measured is What Gets Done
Safe and Supportive Schools (s3) Model:
A New Approach to K-12 School Safety
Draft s3 Model. Please do not circulate without consent from the Office of Safe and Drug-Free
Schools. Please contact Kristen Harper ([email protected]) with questions or concerns.
(B)(i) By an electronic act that results in the substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the school or educational environment.
(ii) This section shall apply to an electronic act whether or not the electronic act originated on school property or with school equipment, if the electronic act is directed specifically at students or school personnel and maliciously intended for the purpose of disrupting school, and has a high likelihood of succeeding in that purpose …
A.C.A. § 6-18-514(b)(2)(B)
Weaknesses --
No outright prohibition on bullying – just the mandate for school district policy
Strong dependence on school districts to develop policies
